Mercy Awarded $75,000 Grant for Project Early Detection

May 25, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Susan G. Komen of Western and Central Oklahoma has awarded Mercy with a $75,000 grant towards Mercy’s Project Early Detection, a program that provides breast health services for women who are uninsured and underinsured.

According to Alan Hollingsworth, MD, medical director of Mercy’s Breast Health Center, if a woman detects breast cancer while it’s still half an inch or less in size, her chance of survival can be more than 90 percent. But tumors this size often cannot be felt, which is why mammograms are vital for early detection.

Susan G. Komen of Western and Central Oklahoma awarded Mercy with a $75,000 grant

For some women, however, an annual mammogram is simply out of reach. That’s why Mercy established Project Early Detection in 2005. So far, more than 3000 women have received mammograms and related diagnostic procedures, including treatment referral and education.

“The success of this program depends on Mercy’s partnerships and collaborations with local radiologists, physicians and our continued relationship with Susan G. Komen of Western and Central Oklahoma,” said Glenda Bronson, program coordinator for Mercy’s community outreach department. “This grant allows us to continue our mission of serving women across Oklahoma.”

In 2015 alone, Project Early Detection provided more than 560 women with breast health services. For more information on Project Early Detection, call 405-936-5226.

Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 44 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Mercy Hospital St. Louis has become the first Mercy facility to be certified as one of the world’s most technologically advanced hospitals by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).